Thomas Haslam

RoboRally Express

2024 - Present

Slimmed-down version of RoboRally, an action programming game. The original game has been a perpetual fascination of mine - I loved the idea, but hated that it was difficult to explain and the ratio of admin time to fun was too low. In the past, I created a digital version of it - this was more fun, but with only local multiplayer it was difficult to get a game running.

This version attempted to slim down the game into something that took less time to play and required less components (since I'd be handcrafting all of them).

Major changes included:

Reduction of scale

  1. The board size was decreased from 11x11 to 10x7 (non-square to fit on an A4 sheet), giving more opportunities for player interaction.
  2. Number of phases each turn reduced from 5 to 3. Hand size reduced from 9 to 5 accordingly.

Improved Execution Phase

  1. Players have their own decks with colour-coded cards, allowing all program cards to be played in the same place and to be resolved faster.
  2. Several cards allow players to make limited decisions during the execution phase, keeping them engaged.

No Death

Several board elements in the original destroyed your robot, forcing you to restart which was a major cause of frustration. Additionally, taking damage reduced your hand size, making it more difficult to avoid taking further damage in future turns.

  1. These were completely removed (no pits, and the edge of the board is now all walls rather than death).
  2. Taking damage gives you "damage repair cards" which do nothing when played except being removed from your deck.

Unique Bots

Since player now has their own deck, there's now scope for unique movement abilities. Each bot has 6 common cards, and 4 bot-specific ones (usually 1-2 movement, 1-2 turning, 1 weapon).

Reduced Runaway Leader Problem

  1. Being the first player to get a flag gives you a "Malware" card that slows down your further progression
  2. The first player to finish the race triggers a "Self-Destruct Sequence", giving the other players 3 turns to exit the board (regardless of their previous progress). This allows players hopelessly lagging behind to still do decently well if they escape and stop others from doing so.